Being a fan of  the main restaurant I was interested to try their new bar/lounge venture out. Four of us ate at Main Street first then moved next door to the lounge for after dinner drinks. The decor is very cool, Asian flavored with modern overtones. Huge chunks of fossilized wood are used for some of the seating, don’t try to lift one you will put your back out!  Only sake and beer is served at the moment as they don’t have a liquor license, but that’s not really a problem. We ordered a plate of the smoked fish to try, it was awesome, the chef smokes his own fish apparently. I applaud the owners for opening on Main Street HMB with the retail doom and gloom reputation this street has we need a  place that can make a go of things, if you are a local please support them by trying the place out, it’s a very cool place to hang.

I know it’s not been open long, and wrinkles are still being ironed out, but I am curious as to the publics initial opinion on our latest addition to the coastsides restaurant roster. I have heard many different experiences and thought it might be interesting to do a quick straw poll.

The floodlit entrance

We were lucky enough to get an invitation to the ’soft’ opening of the new Peruvian restaurant on Friday night. The official ‘Grand Opening’ for the general public is next Friday. We were warned that as this was the first live run of the new kitchen and staff so be prepared for some hiccups. Our party of six was welcomed at the door by two hostesses and we were seated in the middle of the floor in front of the open kitchen. As we looked around we recognized many Montara local faces, and waved and said hi. Shortly after we were seated, our server Luigi brought us a tray of Pisco sours to try, ‘it’s the Peruvian equivalent of a margarita’ he said, delicious. Our cocktail was swiftly followed by a dazzling array of appetizer plates delivered by more servers dressed head to toe in black. If this was a test run I can’t wait to try the food when they really have it dialed in! It was delicious, our group was truly blown away by the freshness and quality of the food. Seafood cooked to perfection and spicy hot ceviche so fresh that I expected it to jump off the plate and flap around on the table. [Read more →]

La Costanera interior ©opentable.com

UPDATE: First full restaurant review here

There is a huge buzz on the coast about chef/owner Carlos Altamirano’s new Peruvian restaurant La Costanera, the former Charthouse in Montara may finally become a successful local hotspot, expectations run high. Mr. Altamirano and his wife Shu have two other successful restaurants in San Francisco, Mochica and Piqueo’s (both also Peruvian). From what I have read the menu in the new establishment will feature up to 10(!) ceviches and as many as 30 Peruvian dishes ($31.00-$50.00, source: OpenTable.com), along with Pisco cocktails, a New World wine list, and beers from the Americas and Belgium, all set in a 10,000 sq three level setting with killer ocean views and a shiney new ‘coastal theme’ interior designed by Michael Brennan.

I have my fingers crossed that it works out for them, so many have failed before them and we really need another good eating place in Montara. Interestingly enough they state that they have ‘55 free parking spaces’. I wonder if they have figured out how to separate the beach visitors parking from their own, it gets pretty crazy there on hot Summer days, and if I understand correctly the dirt part of that lot is Coastal Commission controlled and the far left is Sate Parks. We will see how that one pans out, but I expect the parking to spill out onto Highway 1 as it has at Sam’s Chowder House down the road in Princeton. I am also interested as to how they will control the enevitable increase in litter and trash that the extra visitors will undoubtably generate, it’s bad enough as it is, [Read more →]

La Costanera, Montara

UPDATE: First full restaurant review here

The guys at La Costanera seem to be putting the final touches to the interior of the new restaurant/bar. Peaking through the window I can see lots of beachcomber type decor being used, muted sand colors cover the walls and chair fabric, tasteful. It seems there will be three levels plus the patio. October is the promised date, let’s wish them luck hitting that date.  Contemporary Peruvian Cuisine is what’s promised… [Read more →]